By now, everyone knows that keyword density is dead. And besides being dead, it can be pretty harmful for your rankings if you aim for a high (over 2%) keyword density. So how can you optimize your page for the keyword you are targeting? Try adding in related keywords– especially the keywords that Google feels are relevant.
This is a pretty easy tactic to implement. And there are more benefits than just SEO; your articles will read better and be more informative than if you just focused on one keyword.
To do this, head over to the Google Adwords Keyword Tool, and enter your main keyword into the box. The keyword tool will then give you a long list of tightly related keywords on the top half of the page, and a list of more loosely related keywords on the bottom half of the page. You’ll want to look at the first list.
Pick several keywords to include in your article. Ideally, I always look for the keywords that have the highest search volume. I then write my article using these keywords in it.
Many of the keywords will include your main keyword in them, but some will be rather different. For example if your main keyword is “dog training collars”, the list you’ll get will look something like this:
dog training collar
training collars for dogs
dog training shock collar
innotek dog training collars
dog training collars reviews
While the last two keywords contain your main keyword, and the first one is almost identical, the second and third keywords are a bit different. By having the phrases “training collars for dogs” and “dog training shock collar” on your page, you will get longtail traffic for those keyword phrases, as well as for “innotek” and “reviews”.
By including related keywords on your web pages, you will not only be doing a better job in terms of SEO, but you will also be increasing your site’s traffic, looking cleaner in the eyes of the search engines, and providing a more pleasant experience for your readers.